Catch A Falling Star
by Transparent Existance
Summary: SEQUEL TO SOLD. Stars twinkle, they shine, they fall. People live, they fear, they die. The BAU is called to Maine for a new case, though they are still dealing with the affects of their last.
1. Chapter 1

-1**A/N **Yay, I finally got to this! This is the sequel to my fic _Sold_, so if you haven't read it, then you might want to.

**Summery: **Stars twinkle, they shine, and they fall. People live, they fear, they die. The BAU is still trying to recover from Reid's abduction when another case is brought to them, young girls are being murdered, and Reid is still fighting his own darkness.

**Disclaimer: **Criminal minds is not mine.

**1. Prologue**

David and Henry ran through the small forest out behind the town, over logs and under branches. Sliding on the wet ground, slippery from the previous nights rain. They laughed, as all young boys did over nonsensical jokes and rumors they heard in school. They laughed, clear, young boys' laughter.

It was hard for them to keep their breath as they jumped through the forest, screaming at each other playfully. Laughter echoed against the trees, who's branches waved gracefully in the breeze. Every few minutes one or the other was grazed by a stray branch, not hard enough to mark, but with enough force to sting for a few seconds afterwards.

They ran over dirt trails, and onto wild grass, their eyes bright with anticipation for whatever the remainder of the day might hold. David was sly, snatching up an acorn and throwing it back at Henry, hitting him in the chest without faltering. Henry did not have that grace, and toppled over trying to pick up a small pinecone.

He fell slowly, grabbing wildly for anything to stop his fall. His fingers closed around a thin branch, snapping it with the weight of trying to hold him. He slid, bringing his arms up to protect his face as he slammed into the dirt. He tensed at the initial contact, feeling the sting of torn skin.

David stopped running, worried, and ran back to where Henry had fallen. He looked down at his friend who was pushing himself up and trying to swat the mud away.

"You all right?"

"Course I am." Henry said, but his voice shook.

David smiled and sat down on a nearby log. "You klutz." He chuckled, watching Henry's face redden.

"One day, David, I'll be a better athlete then you." Henry nodded, climbing up on the log with David.

The forest was quiet now as they sat there, catching their breath. All of the little sounds stood out more, amplified, as they sat in momentary silence.

"Weren't there supposed to be holes out here, where Old Mitch was digging those traps?"

David shuddered, the old hunter had always creped him out. "He probably covered them up, to fool the animals."

Henry grinned. "Ya know, they still don't know where Susie and the others went."

"That's not funny!" David said, shifting uneasily.

A rustle and a low groan drew their attention away from each other, but they saw nothing.

"Dammit Henry." David said, annoyed. "Why do you always gotta try and scare me?"

"It wasn't me this time…" Henry said, looking towards the direction the sound had come.

Both boys watched as the mud around one of Old Mitch's holes moved, almost unnoticeably. The ground pulsed again, and each of the boys tensed, equally scared. They watched, terrified, as the mud twitched, and then a shape became more clear, and each boy yelled as they watched a muddy hand claw through the mud to the surface, where it fell limply.

"Go get help!" Henry shouted, and David ran as fast as he could toward the town while Henry pulled on the slender, dirty hand. No one was laughing.

_Insert theme music_


	2. Nightmares never die

-1**Disclaimer:** Criminal Minds is not mine, and if any of the names used for my characters resembles that of someone else, it is purely by coincidence.

**2. Nightmares never die**

Through the nightmares, the restless nights and broken mornings, they were there. Guardians to their hurt friend, protectors from the things he alone saw whenever his eyes were closed. They watched over him, careful because they knew how fragile he had become, how afraid he really was.

Spencer Reid held the envelope in his shaking hand, not wanting to read it again, its words al ready stuck in his mind. He knew what was being asked of him, and he knew he needed to do it, but he did not _want_ to. He was barely sleeping just with the memories of what had happened, he did not want to see the _men_ responsible for creating them.

Gideon looked across the desk to his young friend, his own eyes anxious and worried. Reid had been back to work only a few days, and he was still troubled, it was obvious, and now he was frightened. He was a witness, they wanted to call him to trial to testify against two of the men who had held him. Hurt him.

"Reid," He said softly, looking up at Reid. He was still averting his eyes, still uneasy about looking at people when they spoke to him.

"I don't want to go." He said quietly. "I know I need to, but, I don't want to see them." He was on the verge of tears, fighting them back.

"Reid," Gideon repeated.

"I'm sorry." Reid said, keeping his eyes down and locking away his voice. Refusing to show emotion though it was coursing through him wildly.

"You don't have to apologize, you did nothing wrong. It's understandable that you don't want to be there. If you want, I'll go, you can look at me, you wont even have to look at them."

Reid nodded. "Thank you." He looked up shyly. "Gideon, thank you."

"I'll meet you there later today." He promised. "No ones making you do this alone."

"Thanks." Reid said again, gathering his bag and leaving the office.

When he was alone, Jason Gideon allowed his unadulterated anger to show. It hurt him to see what his friend had become, a frightened, paranoid young man, too unsure about human contact to call for help. To see Reid avoid eye contact, to see him afraid to speak, broke all of their hearts, especially when he had been becoming more active, more open. Now he was like a wary turtle, sticking his head out for only a moment before retreating back into his shell.

On top of his nightmares, and all of the inner pain he refused to share, he had to see the monsters who had done this to him. He had to walk into that courtroom, with a few of the other victims, and tell strangers what had been done to him. He had to tell them things that he still refused to share with his friends. It was so cruel.

A knock on the door blew the anger back into his body, forcing him to retain the calm exterior that he was so well known for. It was Hotch.

Aaron Hotchner was no stranger to hate and nightmares. Both had become common since Reid's abduction and rescue. He had occasional nightmares of his own son being taken, but mostly, they were nightmares of the torture Reid had undergone in the two weeks he had been gone. Vivid and terrifying.

He recognized the anger hidden in Gideon's eyes immediately. "How is he?" He asked, taking a seat.

"Terrified." Gideon answered, clasping his hands. "He doesn't want to be in that courtroom."

"It's understandable." Hotch said, hating the profession in his voice. "After what he's been through."

"I'm going with him." Gideon said, looking at the clock and standing. "He shouldn't go in there alone."

"Yeah." Hotch agreed, wishing that he had been there to offer Reid support, wishing that everything were so easy.

"You should come." Gideon said, hand on the doorknob.

"I wish I could, we got a new case." Hotch said, standing to follow Gideon.

"He has to go to this trial." Gideon said softly, wishing that they could pull Reid from the duty he so wished against performing.

"We'll brief the others, then meet you two on the plane." Hotch said, his voice empty. He hesitated, then looked up to Gideon. "Do you think he's ready for another case?"

"He needs it, we'll see you on the plane."

.-.-.-.-

The courtroom was filled to its capacity, people were squeezed together to know what was going on, what would happen to the men who had hurt so many. All of the families of the abducted were there, mothers, fathers, and siblings, the victims, the curious. A circus of negativity.

Reid fiddled with his fingers, his eyes always down on his hands. He did not want to be here, he did not want to see either of the men who had hurt him. He was afraid, the emptiness that had taken over him growing as it fed off his strong fears and anxiety.

Victims were called to the stand, each forced to tell of the horrors they had undergone, the pain they had suffered. There were tears, gasps and murmurs. Parents stiffened, cried, cursed, and some even turned away. Reid continued to dread having to go up there, having to say aloud the things he had only whispered. His eyes burned with tears he refused to shed, his hands shook. He watched with pained eyes as Jeremy was called to the witness box, as he was forced to tell of what they had undergone together, as he, like many others, identified Mr. Crane as the man who had beaten and readied them.

"Spencer Reid."

Hearing his name called sent a tremor of terror, fresh and powerful through his body. He did not want to see them, he did not want to speak. _Please God, don't make me do this!_ But there was no escape, no way for him to escape the task at hand.

His body rose without his will, his hands still shaking., and he went forward to the witness box. Jeremy offered him a pained smile, and Reid did his best to silently assure his friend that he was okay. But he wasn't, and it was obvious to anyone who knew him. He was sitting in that hollow box, the object of everyone's attention, shaking and afraid. No nightmare ever had its end.

.-.-.-.-

"Five bodies have been found so far." JJ said as she passed out folders to everyone. "All of them teenage girls who were supposed to show up at parties with their friends. They were found in four foot deep holes that had originally been dug as animal traps. Each of the girls was hit over the head, knocked unconscious, and then buried alive."

She clicked the control and the first girl's picture came across the screen. A pleasant young woman with soft blonde hair and deep blue eyes. "Susie McCullen, 17. She died nine days ago, she was the first to die." A picture of her lifeless, muddied body. Another girl's picture came across the screen, this one with dark curling hair and hazel eyes. "Elizabeth Miller, 17. Died the same night." Her lifeless eyes stared back at them, haunting. The third girl's picture, sweet, short blonde hair and small brown eyes. "Samantha Nortira, 17. She died the next night." Another dead girl, more cold eyes. The next girl's picture came. She had a dark tan, wavy gold hair and dangerous green eyes. "Angela Brock, 18. She died the same night as Samantha." The final picture came across the screen, a girl who looked nothing like the others. This girl had died burgundy hair and expressive grey eyes. Black eyeliner curled around the corner of her eyes, black clothes hid her pale skin. "Aubrey Smith, 18. She is the only one who has been found alive, she was pulling herself out of the ground when two young boys stumbled across her."

"Why was she the only one left alive?" Elle asked, Studying the difference between Aubrey and the other girls.

"All of the other girls were popular and on their way to have a good time, Aubrey is an outcast. The unsub might have left her alive after realizing his mistake." Morgan replied.

"But he still buried her and left her for dead." Elle continued.

"Why didn't their parents report them missing before the bodies were found?" Hotch asked, flipping through the photographs and reports, remembering the hours between Reid's disappearance and the notification.

"According to them, it was normal for Susie and her friends to get together and disappear for anywhere between a few days and a week. They weren't alarmed until news spread about Aubrey."

Hotch stood, resting his hands against the cool surface of the table. His thoughts were not on those dead girls, of the victims to come, but on Reid, and the trial taking place minutes away from the FBI building. They were going to Maine, there was no question, but he felt that he belonged in that courtroom right now, offering support to a friend. There was nothing he could do for the dead, but there were things that he could do for Reid, who could have died, who, at times, seemed to have died.

"Everyone be ready to go in forty minutes." Hotch said, leaving the room quickly and heading toward the courthouse. Maybe if he could be there, in the building, his nightmares would lighten too.


	3. Dismayed Confessions

**A/N:**I honestly know little about courtroom proceedings, so if this is horrible, please forgive me…

**Disclaimer:**Criminal Minds, not mine, dang it!! But I got season two on DVD!!!!!!

**3. Dismayed Confessions**

"Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth?"

"Yes, I swear." Reid swallowed hard, keeping his eyes forward .

"All right then." The man smiled, but Reid could not smile. He was scared, he did not want to be there.

A lawyer, whose name he had not caught approached him and motioned toward Mr. Crane, who was smiling as if nothing were wrong. "Is this the man who kidnapped you?"

"No." Reid answered, not wanting to remember that smile.

"Then who is he?"

Reid hesitated. "Mr. Crane." The name sent a wave of pain through each of his scars. "He took Jeremy and I from Jake, and beat us." Jeremy had already told them this, why did he have to repeat it.

Mr. Crane's smile deepened, and Reid turned his eyes toward his hands. There was still faint bruising around his wrists.

"Yes, we've heard all of that from Jeremy, what did he do to you the last night he had you?"

"He took me to the theatre, and handed me off."

"Why didn't you fight back?" The lawyer asked with mock concern.

"I-I did. I tried."

"Objection, your honor, he's badgering the witness." Cried the lawyer who was working for the victims.

"Rephrase council." The judge said sternly.

Mr. Crane chuckled, and Reid wanted to shrink away.

The lawyer nodded. "What happened after that, when they auctioned you?"

Another painful memory. Reid could almost feel the auctioneers hands in his hair, the heat of the overhead lights bearing down on him. "Mr. Sanders bought me." The words were pain filled as Reid looked at Gregory Sanders, and the tears fought against his eyes.

The lawyers grin dropped, and he too looked toward Gregory, who was smiling with such malicious intent that it sent shivers up his own spine. "And what happened?"

Reid's tears were there, small, few, and hot against his pale cheeks. He did not want to say any of it, he did not want anyone to hear. He did not want to see Gregory smile at the memory that gave him nightmares. His hands shook, so he dug his fingers into his pants, gripping the material like it would make everything disappear.

He looked up at Gideon, who became his strength in this moment of absolute darkness. His vision blurred with tears he still fought, he took a deep breath, and looked into Gideon's deep, caring eyes.

"He took me to his apartment," He stopped, wishing that it would be enough, that they wouldn't make him say it.

"And?" The lawyer pried.

_Did they really need to know? It was in the reports, both the doctor's and the police's. _"He raped me." Reid said, almost a whisper.

Gideon clenched his hands so tight his knuckles became bone white. It had hurt to hear the doctor tell them what happened, to hear Reid say it crushed him.

"Don't lie Spencer," Gregory called out. "You wanted it, you enjoyed it."

_They will hate you for it. _Gregory's word whispered in his memory.

"I didn't, I-"

"Come on over Spencer, we'll play again." Gregory licked his lips.

"Don't," Reid begged, tears burning fiercely.

"Mr. Sanders, if you don't quiet down you will be held in contempt of this court!" The judge's voice boomed.

"Thank you Dr. Reid." The lawyer smiled, and dismissed him.

Reid was out of the witness box and out of the courtroom as fast as his feet could carry him. The sound of Gregory's laughter followed him. He went straight for the bathroom, tears burning his cheeks and his stomach turning. _Why had they made him say it? Weren't the dreams bad enough all ready?_ He just wanted it all to be over, wanted things to be they way they had been before all of it had happened. Why couldn't they just let him forget?

Reid pressed himself against the cool tile of the bathroom wall and slid down to a sitting position, wrapping his arms around his drawn up legs. And he cried.

Gideon walked into the bathroom, still furious with Gregory, consumed with pain. He looked at Reid, huddled in the corner crying, and he felt that he wanted to cry so badly. But he needed to be strong for Reid, he needed to be his rock in this strong current.

"Reid?" His voice was soft, caring.

"I didn't want to-"

"I know." Gideon said, kneeling and placing a hand on his shoulder.

"I, I didn't enjoy it," He sobbed, shaking uncontrollably.

"I know," Gideon said, pulling his friend into a hug. "It wasn't your fault, you did nothing wrong."

Reid wanted so badly to believe Gideon's words, but Gregory's were so much stronger.


	4. Cruel Remembrance

-1**A/N **I'm really sorry everyone, I've not had a chance to get near a computer to tyoe, and I'm moving ridiculously slow. I'm sorry, his fic just isn't flowing, so it is taking me a while….

**4. Cruel Remembrance **

No one spoke on the plane. They had all seen how shaky Reid had been while entering with Gideon, seen the anger and pain in Gideon's eyes. They knew that something had happened at the trial, and no one could think of anything to say to make him feel better.

JJ briefed Gideon and Reid on the case, on their suspicions and thoughts. But other then that, Silence.

Reid leaned against the cool window, remnants of tears behind his eyes. Even though he was staring at the clouds, all he could see was Gregory's face. Those eyes, cruel and merciless, hurting hands touching him, hot breath on his skin. Muffled cries and cold metal. Memories. Cruel remembrance. His body stiffened as he again heard Gregory's voice in his ears.

_They will hate you for it. _

He shuddered, the tears fighting to break free again. "Not here." He begged in silent whispers.

"You okay?"

Morgan watched as Reid jumped, startled, afraid. Every time a mere voice frightened him like that, Morgan wanted to hurt the men who had done this to Reid. "Reid, you okay?" He asked again, his voice soft.

"Yeah," Reid nodded.

Morgan slid into the seat across from him watching him carefully. He smiled, and handed Reid a much needed coffee.

"Thanks." Reid smiled tiredly, and accepted the hot drink.

Morgan stared at his friend, seeing a familiar pain. A pain he had once known too well. "Reid, you can talk to me about anything." He said, watching Reid's body tense and relax. "I'm here for you man."

Reid smiled weakly, appreciating Morgan's offer. He just didn't want those words voiced again, didn't want to feel them become real. "Thanks, really." Reid nodded. "but I don't want to talk about it, not yet." The whisper could barely be heard.

Morgan nodded, still pained by Reid's silence, the way he tortured himself with repression.

Hotch stood, looking around the room. "We land in ten."

.-.-.-.-

The Mulberry police station was small, quiet, and I need of some repairs. The building itself looked ready for a gutting and remodeling, its wallpaper was worn, peeling in some places. A cool, sea green color better fit for a spa. The carpet was frayed, worn flat, and a dull, unpleasant grey. All of the desks were neat, hardly used, yet now there was an officer at every desk, each looking up to the BAU with a mixture of anger and need.

The police chief walked from his office, his eyes more clear then those of his men, and cleared his throat as he held out his hand. "I'm police chief Paul Richard."

Hotch took a step forward, shaking the chief's hand. "I'm SSA Agent Aaron Hotchner, these are agents Gideon, Morgan, Greenaway, Jareau, and Dr. Reid."

Chief Richard nodded in each of their directions, his face stern. "I want to thank you all for coming out here. This must seem small compared to some of the calls you get, so we appreciate it."

"It's no problem." Hotch assured the chief, then followed him into a small office which had been offered to the BAU to work in.

"It isn't much, but our entire station is pretty small."

"It'll work." Hotch said, his team all ready spreading around the square table, laying out their case folders and looking at the evidence the Mulberry police had gathered.

The chief nodded, then moved away from the room so that the FBI agents could work.


	5. Guilt

-1**Disclaimer: **Criminal Minds in not mine…oh the sadness…

**5. Guilt**

The Mulberry police had very little that the BAU hadn't all ready received. Samples of the dirt where each girl had been buried, reports from parents, from the boys who had found Aubrey. The police hadn't talked to her yet, though she would be released from the hospital latter that day. It seemed a good place to start.

"All right." Hotch said, closing his eyes. "Reid, Elle, I want you two to talk with Aubrey, see what she can tell you. Morgan and JJ, talk to the boys, see if they saw anything else, or heard something. Gideon and I will go to the crime scenes."

Everyone nodded, grouped up, and left the small room they had been given. They wanted to work as best as they could, to solve this, because no one wanted another young girl to die.

.-.-.-.-

"What do you think happened?" JJ asked quietly as she and Morgan walked down the street where David and Henry lived.

"Just some guy who's killing teenage girls. Maybe someone close to him died-"

"No," JJ interrupted. "I mean today, at the trial."

Morgan looked at her, then turned his eyes forward. He knew that something had gone wrong, something had upset both Reid and Gideon. "I don't know." He answered helplessly. "I wanted to be there, to watch those creeps get sentenced, to support Reid."

"I don't think he wanted anyone there." JJ said quietly. "He still doesn't want to talk about what happened." _We should've gotten there sooner_.

"I don't blame him." Morgan said darkly. "But it will help, to get it out."

They checked the address, and climbed the porch steps of David's house. JJ knocked, and they waited for someone to answer.

"Hello?" A small, mousy woman answered the door, holding a baby in her arms.

"Mrs. Listre?" JJ asked.

"Yes?" The woman looked at them, knowing what they must be here for. "David's inside." She welcomed them in.

JJ smiled and nodded, then they followed Mrs. Listre into her house. She took them into the kitchen, where she grabbed a bottle from the microwave. "I'll get David, Henry's here too, do you want to see them both?"

"Yes," JJ answered.

The woman smiled and moved away from the room, toward a staircase, where she called for the children. Their steps could be heard through the ceiling as they paced over to the staircase, hesitating, and then marching down the stairs.

They were young, shy, and maybe even scared. A town this small, with a barely needed police force, having to call the FBI would be frightening. JJ smiled warmly as the boys walked into the room. "I'm agent Jareau." Morgan nodded. "I'm agent Morgan."

The boys smiled. "David." Said the slightly leaner one. "Henry." Said the other.

"Do you guys wanna sit down?" David asked, motioning them toward the kitchen table.

"Yes, thank you." JJ said as she and Morgan followed the boys to the kitchen table.

"We need you guys to tell us what happened." Morgan said.

"Okay," David nodded. "Well, we were running through the woods, we do it all the time. It rained earlier, so it was slippery. But we were having fun, so we just kept running. Henry lost his footing, he slipped."

Henry elbowed David, not wanting to be embarrassed in front of agent Jareau. "I only slipped because I was trying to grab a stone to throw at him."

David stuck out his tongue. "We stopped after that, to sit and catch our breath. We were just sitting there, joking around when we heard a noise." David stopped.

"It came from one of the animal holes," Henry said quietly. "We looked over, and a hand was clawing itself out of the mud. We got scared, a-and I told David to run and get help. I tried to pull her out, but I wasn't strong enough, so I just dug threw the mud, trying to find her face…"

"You boys did good, she is alive because of you." Morgan said kindly. "What can you tell us about Mitch?"

"He's kind of a hermit," Mrs. Listre answered. "He lives alone on the outskirts of town, dug those holes to trap wild animals."

"Where can we find him?"

"The police found him dead in his cabin." Henry said quietly.

Morgan and JJ nodded, then headed toward the door. "Thanks for your help."

.-.-.-.-

"All of these holes are about four feet deep, and long enough to hold a body." Hotchner observed. "The unsub knew they were here, and must have killed Mitch to keep him out of the way."

"He knocks them out, then throws them into these holes. And buries them alive." Gideon knelt beside the hole, seeing the ghost of a dead girl inside.

"Every girl except Aubrey has bruising on their neck, where he might have begun to strangle them."

"He did not want to kill her…" Gideon sighed.

"Jason," Hotchner asked hesitantly. "What happened at the trial?"

Gideon sighed again, seeing it all replay behind his eyes. "That lawyer bullied him. They had all of it in writing, they knew what happened, but the lawyer wouldn't stop until Reid said it out loud." His voice became quiet, angry. "And then that monster stood and started calling to Reid, tormenting him until Reid was in tears and the courtroom was in a small state of chaos. They way he talked to Reid, Aaron, I wanted nothing more then to storm over there and hurt him every bit as badly as he hurt Reid."

Hotch stared into the hole where Elizabeth Miller had been found. He should have been there too, he would have, what? Would he have beat Gregory's face in? Would he have risked he charges just to give Gregory a taste of what he deserved? In this, he was jealous of Morgan, he had gotten his hands on Gregory when they had finally tracked him down, he had hurt him for what he had done to Reid.

The memory of Reid as he had been haunted Aaron's dreams, to see him bound, bleeding, hurt and possibly broken. So exhausted and exploited that he had passed out as soon as his friends were there to hold him.

"Aaron?" Gideon placed a hand on his shoulder. "What happened to him is not something we could have prevented. We did everything we could, and we got him out of there alive."

"I know. It's when I see that image of him in my mind that I find a way to blame myself for not getting to him faster."

"You were there for him, you still are. I think, right now, that's what he needs from us, until he's ready to talk freely."

"Yeah," Hotch said, staring into the hole again.

.-.-.-.-

They walked down the hospital hall in silence, though, it seemed everything was in silence lately. Elle could see that Reid was still shaken up, he was trying so hard to look okay.

It hurt her to see him that way, he had always seemed a bit insecure, but for him to be this way around them, after they had all been getting along so well. It hurt, a pain so deep, so unknown, she didn't know how to fix it.

_How many clues had we missed that could have lead them to him sooner, prevented the most emotional, and physical of his injuries? Why doest hurt so much to see him pretending he wasn't suffering? _

Aubrey was sitting on the hospital bed, waiting for the final okay to go home. She looked every bit as strange as her photograph had portrayed her to be. Her burgundy hair was pulled back into a messy ponytail, her body cloaked in black clothes, her grey eyes haunted.

"Aubrey Smith?" Reid asked, walking into the room. "I'm agent Reid, this is agent Greenaway, we want to talk to you about what happened."

"The police still too afraid to come near me." He scoffed, looking down to her hands.

"Excuse me?" Elle asked, confused.

"I've been conscious and able to talk for a while now, they wouldn't come up, so they sent you."

"They're not afraid of you, there's a lot going on right now." Elle sat beside her.

"I'm their only witness, they don't want to talk to me. No one in this town wants to talk to me."

"We do." Reid said, trying a smile. "We want to get the guy who's doing this."

"Where do you want me to start?" She sighed.

"Start before he found you, wherever it is most comfortable for you to begin." Elle said kindly, watching as emotions flickered in both Aubrey's and Reid's eyes.

**A/N** Finally, a decent sized chapter!


	6. Deathly recount

-1**Disclaimer: **Criminal minds isn't mine, but parts of this fic are!

**6. Deathly recount**

"I wanted to go out, to get some air. I do it a lot at night, walk under the moon." She shook her head. "Sounds pretty stereotypical, doesn't it?"

"We're not here to judge you." Elle said.

"Of course not." Aubrey chuckled. "I was walking in the forest. It's peaceful there, no one to bother you, no one to point and whisper. I think it's the only place I can go, only at night, only alone." She paused. "Anyway, I was heading toward the pond, its about a half mile into the woods, when I heard something. I'd heard at school that there was going to be a party at Steven Hark's house, so I assumed people were cutting through the woods so the adults wouldn't notice. But everyone around this town knows when there is going to be a party. Everyone between the ages of fifteen and twenty-two gets in."

"Did you ever go to any of those parties?" Reid asked. The unsub may be tracking them at these events, choosing the girls he wanted.

"Do I look like someone who gets invited to be friends with all of the conformists?" She asked sarcastically? She shook her head. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine." Reid said, looking at his own hands.

"I walked away from the sound." Aubrey continued. "I didn't want trouble from any of them, I just wanted to be alone.

"I heard him coming, but I didn't comprehend what was happening. I'm so used to people throwing shit at me, being jerks, that I usually just keep going. He hit me with a fallen branch! I fell, my head was hurting, I was confused. Everything was blurry.

"I looked at him, hidden in the shadows. I think he was shocked too, because, at first I thought he was going to run away. Like he had taken the prank too far and was afraid to get caught. So I yelled at him. I asked him what the hell he was doing."

"Did he answer?" Elle asked.

"Yeah, actually." She shook her head. "He looked at me, and kinda smiled. _'Party girls deserve to die. They're no good.' _I had no idea what he was talking about. So I told him I didn't go to their stupid parties. I think that's what really confused him, because he just stared, like I was an animal in the zoo, like I needed to be studied.

"Then he just stopped moving, like he was trying to figure something out. I tried to stand, but he raised the branch, like he'd hit me again. So I sat there, and then he told me he was sorry. He said that I was an accident, and that he was sorry, and then he hit me again. " She stopped, her breathing getting heavier as she focused on the memory.

"I could feel the dirt being thrown down onto my body, but I couldn't move. I couldn't even open my eyes! It just kept getting heavier, the mud was everywhere, I couldn't breath." She was fighting tears. "I could hear him apologizing, humming, burying me. It was so heavy, and then there was nothing, as if id passed into sleep. A large period of time I cant remember, and then I was awake, barely breathing.

"I could feel the mud between my fingers, my nails breaking as I clawed my way out. There was so much mud, I was suffocating, getting lightheaded." Tears. "It was the closest I've ever been to dying, I was giving in when my hand broke through to the surface. I could feel air, I could feel the vibrations in the ground as those boys ran toward me. Like I was all ready a part of the earth. I was fading, and I wanted to." She paused, looking up to the agents with teary eyes, though she wished the tears would stop. "That kid dug around until he found my face, and he pulled the mud out of my mouth, did his best to get it from my throat. He saved my life, and when he clearly saw who he had saved, he looked away, and waited for help to arrive."

"I'm sorry." Elle said, placing a hand on Aubrey's trembling shoulder, trying to find something more to say.

"It's fine," Aubrey said, wiping away the tears. "It feels a bit better after its spoken."

Unnoticed, Reid tensed.

"We will find this guy, he wont get away with what he did." Elle assured her.

"Tell that to the parents who lost their children." Aubrey said, then looked up at the doctor. "Can I leave yet?"

"Yes, you're clear." He said, a forced smile on his lips.

Aubrey smiled at the agents. "See you around." And she was gone.


	7. Synthesis

**A/N:** I was going to post this last night, but I went and saw Styx!

**Disclaimer:** sighs Not mine.

**7. Synthesis **

Everyone met back at the police station, painfully aware of the officer's eyes on them. They were expecting a lot, and yet, they were skeptical. Small town police were so strange.

They sat around the square table, tired, expectant themselves, and looked at one another. Gideon spoke first, breaking the fifteen second silence. "All of the used holes were dug four feet underground, the lengths vary, but each was long enough to dump a body. The unsub knew that Mitch was digging animal traps, and killed him before he could notice that the holes were being used."

"He knows these woods, which nights to go out and wait for victims to stroll through them." Hotch said.

"The kids use the woods to avid their parents on the nights of the parties, even though everyone knows about them. It makes it more fun, more illicit." Reid said, the image of Aubrey crying stuck in his mind. She had said that it was better to speak the words, maybe it would relieve some of his pain. He was not sure.

"He hits them over the head, stunning them, then strangles them until they pass out. Once he is sure they're out, he buries them. He told Aubrey that party girls deserve to die, that they're no good." Elle said.

"He's killed six girls in about a week," Morgan said, looking at the observing officers. "Something set this guy off recently. A death, a breakup. Now he's targeting girls who like to party."

"This unsub will probably be displaying fits of anger, drinking, possibly even harming himself." Gideon added.

"He might even try to put himself into the investigation. He knows we're on to him, so he's going to feel a bit pressured, he might not even wait for party nights anymore." Reid nodded.

"This man is dangerous, he is angry and he is willing to kill. I would stress to the citizens that no one goes out into the woods alone, or at all. We don't want him to kill anyone else, so everyone needs to be cautious until we catch him." Hotch said.

The police nodded, closing their small notebooks and moving toward their own desks. In a town this small, it should not be hard to know who was suffering from a major event, but in a town this small, all of the people are close, and don't want to hurt one another.

.-.-.-.-

Reid was in his hotel room, lying curled up on his bed. He could not sleep. The nightmares were waiting, all ready calling out to him.

He had thought over Aubrey's words multiple times since hearing them, realizing their importance to his own situation. _"It feels better after its spoken." _If only it were that easy.

She had been buried alive, almost died, but he had been kidnapped, beaten, sold and raped. It seemed his was a bit harder to express, but for her, her statement must have been difficult. At least she had been able to talk about it.

His cell phone rang, a shrill reminder that he was real. He swung his arm around to the stand to grab it, knocking over a glass of water in the process. He stared at the broken shards as he pulled the phone to his ear, captivated by their broken sparkle.

"Hello?" He asked tiredly.

"Spencer?" It was Jeremy.

"Hey Jeremy." He said softly, knowing that Jeremy was calling to offer him comfort for what had happened at the trial.

"I know things were hard the other day," Jeremy began. "I'm so sorry, Spencer."

Water soaked into the carpet, turning it a darker shade of red.

"It was hard on you to, Jeremy." He did not want to talk about it.

There was silence on the other line. "How's the case going?"

Jeremy knew that Spencer couldn't talk about the case, but he liked to talk, to know that there was someone out there. Jeremy had become jumpy and a bit paranoid since the ordeal.

"Its going all right. How's school?"

A chuckled. "You were a big help on that essay."

Reid smiled. "I'm glad." His eyes caught on a sliver of glass, which he carefully picked up. It was so clear next to his pale skin, his eyes blurred as he brought the broken glass to his wrist. Contemplating.

"Spencer, are you all right?" Jeremy asked, worried by Spencer's silence.

A thin line across the vein, spots of blood welling into a bumpy line. "I'm fine now."

"Good night Spencer."

"Good night," He spoke, cutting an identical line below the other.

.-.-.-.-

Officer Jamison looked up from his newspaper, a sudden thought in his mind. Someone who had suffered some kind of loss, who would be angry at teenage girls. He knew who the killer was, deep down, he felt he had known all along.

He picked up his phone, and dialed agent Hotchner's number.

"Hello?" A tired voice.

"Agent Hotchner, this is Officer Jamison, listen, I think I know who your guy is."

A rustle on the other line. "Call everybody in."

"Yes sir."

Jamison put his phone down, pulling himself back into his uniform. He was getting ready to call a few of the guys when he heard the footsteps. He knew who it was, and he knew that he might not be making those calls.

"Jamison, why would you do that?" The man's voice came from the shadows.

"You cant keep killing innocent girls!" He said, slowly reaching for his gun.

A shot rang out from the shadows and Jamison pulled his hand back.

"Christ man, you need help." He shouted.

"All I need, is to make them pay. They aren't innocent, they aren't clean!"

Jamison looked at his gun, the threw his arm out for it. The man stepped out from the shadows, his gun all ready aimed. The bullet pieced Jamison's face as his hand fell onto his gun. He wouldn't tell anybody anything, not with his mouth blown away.


	8. Twinkling darkness

**Disclaimer:** I no own Criminal Minds, but I do own the deadness of this fic. I also own the quoted passage on stars, its part of a book I'm writing!

**8. Twinkling darkness **

They were standing outside Jamison's study, shaking their heads at the death of a fine officer and brother. He had been murdered, shot through the mouth because he was going to expose the murderer. A bloody mess, and no answers. Another death, and no clue as to who had killed him.

On the wall, written with Jamison's blood were the words, _They will die! They need to die! It never ends! _Three chilling sentences.

The BAU stepped outside of Jamison's home, waiting in the chill air for the police chief Richard to come out. He and Jamison had been close friends, no doubt this was hard for him.

When he came out, there were remnants of tears on his face, and anger in his eyes. Determination permeated the air around him, strong as an electric current. He was done playing around.

"I think I know what Jamison wanted to tell you." He said, eyes focused on Hotchner. "You see, Jamison's brother is a troubled man. People around here don't talk about him, generally, we don't think about him much. He's not a bad person, just sort of lost. Their father hurt him when they were kids, because Stanly was never as good as Jamison. Didn't live up to his fathers expectations.

"The boy did drugs, he drank, he cut his arms till there wasn't anyplace left to cut them. No one had any hope for that boy. But Becky fancied herself in love with him. And we all thought he'd get better. But Becky was a party girl, you couldn't keep her away from one. She was sleeping with half the guys in the town, she was cruel after the first two weeks. He was crushed, and then she left. No reason, never came back either."

"Why didn't you tell us this earlier?" Hotchner asked, annoyed.

"Like I said, we don't think about Stanley much, he comes and goes, aint never hurt nobody."

"We need to find him." Gideon said. "Before he hurts someone else."

"He's gotta be in the woods, always strayed toward them." Chief Richard said, pained. "I'll pair my men, you prepare yours."

Hotchner looked to his team, his eyes stopping on Reid. "Everyone suit up, we're going in."

They slipped into their bulletproof vests, loaded and checked their weapons. Hopefully they would catch Stanly, put an end to all of this.

Reid was fastening his vest when he saw Aubrey walk into the woods about twenty feet away. Hadn't she heard, no one was supposed to be in these woods alone, after dark.

"Hotch." He said, waiting as his boss came forward.

"What is it?"

"Aubrey Smith just walked into the woods alone, I'm gonna get her out of there."

"Reid," He did not want Reid to be in danger, didn't want him separated from the rest of them. "Be careful."

Reid nodded, then hurried after her.

.-.-.-.-

Aubrey sat on a low branch, her eyes closed. She needed to cool breath of the night to sooth away the cold sweat she had awoken in. The nightmares, bits and pieces of old and new memories had tormented her, driving her away from her disheveled bed, and out the window.

Now she sat on this solemn branch, bathing in the pale moonlight as the demons of her life laughed on the breeze. Poking at her psyche, twisting her thoughts until tears rimmed her grey eyes. She pulled her knees up, then extended her right arm, palm up, resting on her knee. Ghosts of scars twinkled as the moon reflected off of them. She stared at them, disgusted, yet longing for their relief. _Was there no end to any of it?_

She flinched as the twigs snapped behind her, but quickly relaxed. Maybe he had come back, maybe he would finish her off. She did not want to harbor these dark secrets anymore. She did not want the world to hear her pain, did not want to see the looks on their faces when they knew what had been done to her. She had repressed these memories for nine years, an they were becoming too strong for her.

'The stars were always beautiful. No matter where someone went, or how many times they looked into the same sky, the stars always looked the same, constellations were only depicted scatterings. A gaseous accumulation in space generating energy through thermonuclear reactions, a fancy way to say bright spot in the sky. Some people said that a night under the stars could change a life, but in the true essence of things, what did the stars have to do with anything? Did their existence even matter in the gist of matters?'

.-.-.-.-

Reid stumbled through the woods, trying his best to follow Aubrey without getting himself lost. It was so quiet, the smallest sounds seemed overly amplified, so natural. He cast his eyes down, realizing that he did not belong here. Everything else had a place it belonged, somewhere it fit, but where was his? Did he even have one?

He heard her muffled sobs, and worry instantly made its way through him. Had Stanly found her and decided to finish her?

"Aubrey?" He called, unsure.

Silence, then a sniffle. "What do you want?"

Reid followed her voice, the sound of her heavy breathing, until he found her. She was perched on a branch five feet above the ground, cradling her knees. There were black lines on her face where tears had smeared her eyeliner, the reflection of the stars caught in her watery eyes.

"What do you want?" She asked again, turning away from him.

"Its dangerous out here." Reid said, walking toward her.

"So?"

"I don't want you to get hurt." Reid offered, sitting himself on the branch.

She shook her head, then looked up toward the sky. "Too late for that." A cynical laugh.

Reid turned his face to the sky, trying to find what she was watching, but saw nothing out of the ordinary. Only a moon, and the stars. "What are you looking at?" He asked quietly.

"They're beautiful, ya know? Doesn't matter where you go, they're always the same, existing without pain. And eventually, despite their years, their perfect beauty, they fall, crash and die. Suddenly, they are nothing, and no one wants them anymore. They become dirty, used, abused. Broken." She whispered the last word as she looked down to her right wrist. "There is nothing left for them after they fall. Nothing but death."

Her words were spun from his deepest emotions, things he had never been able to say to himself, because he had been trying to find a way back into the light. Maybe he was a fallen star. There was no way to get back up, to regain his light. His nightmares were answers he'd been avoiding. He looked at his own wrist, the red streaks grinning back at him.

"Maybe…" He said quietly.

.-.-.-.-

They stalked through the woods, quiet, listening. Stanly was out there and he was armed. He would take no more lives, would shed no more innocent blood. They would not allow it.

They moved in quick, fluid motions, over logs and under branches. Their flashlights scanned over the ground before them, alerting them to whatever might try to stand in their way. They could hear a voice, a man swearing in the distance. The sound of a shovel in dirt.

Their footsteps hastened, they knew that something wasn't right. They moved with stealth, they moved with speed. Worry heavy on each of their trigger fingers. From all around, they were closing in, there could be no escape, and Stanly must have known, for he laughed thickly and filled the hole faster.

A figure in the darkness, surrounded by branches that appear to be reaching toward him. A twisted smirk on his face as he throws more dirt into hole .

"Your too late, she's dead. They'll all be dead!"

Hotchner looked toward the nearly filled grave. He knew that there was a defenseless girl in there, alone and dying, if she was not already dead. They didn't have time to mess with this guy.

"Put the shovel down, and step away from the hole. We don't want to shoot you."

The man smiled, throwing down the shovel. "You cant save any of them, even when I'm gone, someone will know, someone else will kill them!"

Morgan holstered his gun and then roughly cuffed Stanly. He continued to laugh despite Morgan's threats, because he believed that he had truly won.

Hotch and many of the other officers began digging through the loose soil, hoping that whoever was down there was still alive, that they could save her.

They dug through the dirt, snagging their nails, breaking them. Sweat dripped for their faces and pain and worry permeated their atmospheres. They dug ,deeper and deeper, until a bony hand became visible. With a small sense of hope, they continued to dig. Hotch grasped the young girl's hand, it was so cold, there was no pulse.


	9. Confessions in the Dark

**Disclaimer: **Not mine, but I dreampt a dream of it being so...

**9. Confessions in the dark**

Aubrey turned toward the Agent, looking at the fresh cuts on his own wrist, and her heart hurt. What could have driven him to break such beautiful skin? Then she thought of the words she had spoken, and hoped that they had not given him the wrong idea.

"You aren't like those stars." She said softly. "You aren't broken."

Reid smiled, wishing he could believe her. "I am broken. I'm not who I was, not since…"

She turned toward him, cupping his wrist in her hands. "What drove you to do this to yourself?" She asked, then showed him her own wrist. "Those scars aren't something you are going to want to wake up to, you'll hate yourself for them later, after years, you will still hate them."

The memories were there, playing in his memories eye. Reid sighed, then wrapped his arms around himself. He did not want to say it, did not want to tell another stranger about what Gregory Sanders had done to him.

Aubrey sat back, closing her eyes, preparing to tell the secret she had kept for so many years.

.-.-.-.-

When Hotch stared at the lifeless hand in his grasp, a realization moved in his mind. They were too late for this girl, there was nothing they could do for her now except pull her from her earthen grave, return her to her family, and allow her to be buried with dignity. This girl had been alone when she died, there had been no one for her, only nothing.

Reid could have died the night they found him. Gregory could have shot him, he could have taken Reid's life, taken Reid. But they had saved him, at least, partly. They could not shy away, as if he were okay. Reid was hiding pain, he was alive. How long would he hold himself together if everyone waited for him to be ready to open up?

He was suffering, it was clear to all of them, and while Hotch knew that people healed with time, that people needed time, he felt that Reid needed someone to really reach out to him, to be there for him, before he fell to far.

.-.-.-.-

"I was ten the first time he hurt me." Aubrey said quietly, watching the way Reid's eyes moved from his wrist to her eyes. "It was simple, small things at first. He told me I was his favorite, that any uncle's favorite niece was supposed to be treated different. Little stuff, but it was enough to scare me into silence, because I was afraid he would hate me if I said anything.

"When I was a little older, he let me drink with him, I thought it was cool ,something forbidden, but I was allowed. He took advantage of me, he hurt me, and after a year of small stuff, he raped me."

Reid tensed. This was something she had held in for years, a pain she had never escaped.

"You've been raped, haven't you?"

The question hurt. It stirred memories, made him light headed and afraid. But there was no denying it, it had happened, it was over. Wasn't it? Crane, Sanders, they weren't coming back, not physically, it was just the memories that hurt him now. So why was it so hard?

He nodded.

"I cant imagine what it was like for you, agent Reid, but, you cant keep doing this," She stroked the cut on his wrist. "Have you talked to anyone about it?"

"I don't want to," He said quietly.

She smiled. "I know, I didn't for nine years, but I told you, and I already feel a bit better. The pain lessens with every cut, but it is replaced by repulsion. It is relieved when you talk about it. Don't hurt yourself, someone else all ready did."

"I don't know what to do." He confessed, shaking.

.-.-.-.-

The body in the grave belonged to Rebecca Tenning, the girl Stanly had been in love with, the girl that had inspired his killings. She had been dead for at least two weeks, he had killed all of these girls although he had all ready killed her.

The BAU would leave the scene to the local authorities, they could handle this their way. There was nothing else they could do, not for this town.

Hotch scanned the area with tired eyes, locating each member of his team, telling them to go get their rest. Reid had gone after Aubrey, he would go find Reid. He wanted to talk to his agent, to catch him before he fell.

He walked through the forest, remembering past cases, anything to keep his mind busy as he searched, and then he heard a voice, a young woman's.

"Don't hurt yourself, someone else all ready did."

And then Reid's voice, hurt, shaking. "I don't know what to do."

.-.-.-.-

Reid blinked away tears, he wanted some of this pain eased. He wanted to speak freely, not to have someone force the words out of his mouth. He looked at Aubrey, who was harboring a pain so much like his own, who was there to hear him. But he didn't know how to say any of it, all his knowledge, and he couldn't figure out how to begin. Emotions sparked, and it all became a rush of words that he could not control.

"I didn't know what to do, I wanted to fight, but I couldn't." He stared at his hands, he could see ghosts of the bruises from the restraints. "I tried to scream, but no one heard, no one came. And then, he hit me. He smiled as he, he removed those suffocating pants, he r-raped me." Reid whispered, tears falling from is eyes, glistening like stars.

Aubrey stared at him, pained, yet, relieved. He was opening up, something she had waited nine years to do. He would be okay, hopefully. "Agent Reid, none of what happened was your fault."

He nodded. "I know, but sometimes, it feels like it was." He sighed heavily. "They all hate me because of it." He whispered.

"Who?"

"My team. Gregory knew they would, he said it so many times, they all act differently, they hate me because of what happened."

"We don't hate you, Reid."

.-.-.-.-

**A/N**Interesting…


	10. Catch A Falling Star

**A/N:**This chapter is horrible, the first time I wrote it, it was beautiful, and it just worked. But my computer messed up and erased it, so here is the crappy attempt at re-writing.

**Disclaimer:** Criminal Minds isn't mine, nor do I claim it to be.

**10. Catch a Falling Star**

"We don't hate you, Reid."

Reid tensed, afraid of that voice. It meant that his words had been heard, that Hotch knew what had happened, that he could now be disgusted by what had happened with Gregory, and by the cuts across his wrists.

Hotch walked across the way, closer to Reid and Aubrey, clearly seeing how much pain each of them were in. Tears in their eyes, shimmering and falling like melancholy stars. He stood beside Reid, who turned away, ashamed.

"Reid, we don't blame you for what happened, if nothing else, we've been blaming ourselves for not finding you sooner." Hotch said, pain coating his words.

Reid shook his head, hugging his arms. "I shouldn't have let them take me, I should have fought better, I-"

"You did everything you could, you were strong. What happened did so because cruel men walk the earth." Hotch sighed. "We were always a step behind; _we_ are the ones who messed up."

"But you didn't give up…" Reid said, looking down to his wrist, which had begun to bleed lightly where he had rubbed at the scabs.

Hotch took Reid's wrist in his hand and covered the cuts with his palm, putting pressure on to stop the bleeding. This blood was on his hands. "I'm so sorry, Reid."

"That's my fault too…"

"No. There was too much pain for you to deal with alone, and we've all felt so guilty for what had happened, that we couldn't come to help you. You shouldn't have had to go through this, all of those other boys, the ones who died, the ones we couldn't save…"

There was silence, the sounds of the night were loud to their ears, broken only by the sound of Reid trying to hold in his tears. Memories, thoughts, blood. All of it was so much. His friends were suffering because of him.

It was unexpected, so simple an action, one so often taken for granted. Hotch pulled Reid into a hug, holding him, feeling his body tremble as he cried. His tears falling as the blood stopped flowing.

"We don't hate you Reid," Hotch whispered. "We hate the people who did this to you, who hurt all those young men. We will never hate you for someone else hurting you."

Reid hesitated, then pulled away enough to look at Hotch, then closed his eyes. He needed to breathe, to calm down, because this was going to take so much out of him.

His breathing steadied, his chest hurt. There would be tears, because, how could there not be? He opened his eyes, tears glistening, and began to tell Hotch about his fears, the memories, and the nightmares. All of it. And, he found, that Aubrey was right, it hurt to relive these memories as he spoke, but to refrain doing it any longer would have hurt more. He told Hotch everything, and when it was over, Hotch didn't hate him, he wasn't disgusted, he was sad.

"It's going to be all right." He said, promised. "They will never hurt anyone again."

It had hurt to hear of what had been done to Reid. To hear the pain in Reid's voice as he talked about Jake, Mr. Crane, that basterd Sanders. The things they had done to him and Jeremy, the hurt that had been bestowed upon Reid. Hotch remembered the video Mr. Crane had sent, they way it had made them all feel. The way Sanders had used Reid when the FBI was finally at his door, the way they had almost lost Reid.

In the midst of all of their pain, Reid had been falling under the weight of what had happened to him. Groping lost in the darkness for a hand, finding nothing because theirs had become transparent in their doubt. But Hotchner wasn't going to watch Reid fall away, not when he could save him. He shook away his guilt, and reached into that darkness, and pulled Reid away. He caught him before he could fall too far.

.-.-.-.-

There was nothing more the BAU could do for the small town of Mulberry. Their police would deal with Stanly, help the people through their time of darkness. So the BAU were heading home, where they could sort through their own darkness. All of them were ready to go, all but one.

.-.-.-.-

Aubrey sat on the shore of the small pond deep within the forest. Dried tears on her cheeks, drawing patterns in the moist sand. She felt the weight of her nightmare lifted, but didn't know what to do. Her secret was out, someone knew. No one in this town cared.

She heard the footsteps approaching, and knew who it was. Not many people made that much noise moving through these woods, no many came looking for her.

"I thought you were leaving?"

"I wanted to talk to you first." Reid said as he neared her, then sat next to her.

"Why?" She asked sarcastically. Aubrey shook her head. "I'm sorry."

"Its fine. I wanted to thank you."

"For what?" She asked.

He sighed. "For helping me open up," He started. "Sounds pretty corny doesn't it?"

She laughed lightly. "Your welcome. It's better that way, you wont have to hurt yourself, and they can all heal too."

Reid nodded. "Yeah…"

They sat in silence, listening to the sounds of nature, watching the ripples on the ponds surface. It was all so tranquil, so oblivious to the horrors that had taken place here. If only things could all be like this, forever.

"We can put him away." Reid said quietly.

"Who?" Aubrey asked, puzzled.

"The man who hurt you."

She smiled, and shook her head. "He died a year ago, got off clean."

"I'm sorry." Reid said, turning toward the water.

"Don't be. At least he isn't hurting anyone else."

.-.-.-.-

In the two weeks that passed after the case in Maine, a lot changed for the members of the BAU. They worked their cases with reserve and professionalism, but outside, they were mending. They attended a group session twice a week, to support each other, to lessen the guilt they felt within. But mostly, it was for Reid, who was still having trouble with what had happened.

They were all healing, coming together and fighting the darkness. Their own nightmares had at first been haunted by the images of Reid's, knowing everything that had happened had hurt. Their councilor was sure though, that soon, they wouldn't need to be there anymore. Five sessions had been enough, talking had been all they needed. Something everyone does so often, but it had been so hard. Jeremy came to two of the sessions, they were his last two, he and his mother were moving to Arkansas. He and Spencer exchanged email addresses, and then he was gone.

The nightmares were still there, though now only a few nights of the week. He talked more like his old self, which made them all feel better. To hear him spout off facts like they were common knowledge helped them all remember brighter days. And he smiled! After the time of seeing fear and pain buried in his eyes, to see that smile was a wonderful relief.

They had been a gathering of stars, a consolation hidden by clouds. Each of them dimmed by guilt and pain, so much so that none had really noticed as one began to fall. But they had seen through their hurt, they had reached out, and caught their companion before he could crash and die. They had caught their falling star and cleared away the clouds. They shone together, a light to fight the darkness.

.-.-.-.-

The End

.-.-.-.-

**A/N:**So that is the end. Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed, it was nice to hear what people thought. I'd love to know what everyone thought about the ending, the original was better, but my computer is evil… Thank you, and good night.


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